As Van Evers squeezed beside the freshly unearthed casket for the six-hour ride, one thought consumed him: He was going to see his father. He never thought he'd have this chance. Three years old when his father, Medgar Evers, was killed, Van had only faint memories of a man leaving bubble gum cigars on his bunk bed. After the murder, he would pick up the phone and ask, "Have you seen my daddy?" Now, nearly 30 years later, the body was being brought to Albany, N.Y.

Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan has appointed one of Malcolm X's convicted assassins to head the Harlem mosque the black rights activist led before his murder, the Village Voice reported. The weekly newspaper quoted Nation of Islam sources as saying that convicted murderer Muhammad Abdul Aziz would also be the East Coast security chief of Farrakhan's group. Malcolm X rose to prominence as head of Mosque No. 7 in Harlem before he was gunned down in the Audubon Ballroom in New York on Feb.

His name graces colleges, libraries and parks from the nation's capital to the West Coast, but his only surviving childhood home has never received recognition. No plaque distinguishes the house where black nationalist Malcolm X lived in the early 1940s, a time when he ran around as a petty criminal until an arrest put him in jail and on the path to civil rights activism. The residence is just blocks from a brick row house that carries a landmark designation as the home where Dr.

The 12-year-old grandson of Malcolm X was sentenced Friday to at least 18 months at a juvenile center for burning to death his grandmother, Betty Shabazz. Malcolm Shabazz could be held until he turns 18. His sentence will be reviewed at the end of the 18 months and every year thereafter. Malcolm pleaded guilty July 10 to the juvenile equivalent of manslaughter and arson in the death of his grandmother, with whom he had been sent to live.

In a milestone to a family tragedy, the 12-year-old grandson of Malcolm X pleaded guilty Thursday to the juvenile equivalent of second-degree manslaughter and arson for setting the fire that killed his grandmother, Betty Shabazz. During a court hearing, Malcolm Shabazz took the witness stand briefly and was asked by prosecutors what he did. "Start a fire," the boy replied before being cut off by Yonkers, N.Y., Family Court Judge Howard Spitz.

For the 11th day, the vigil and the parade of visitors continued Thursday at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, where Betty Shabazz, the critically burned widow of Malcolm X, is fighting for her life. Her struggle is becoming a story not only of medical technology but also of the human sprit. Everyone from former Mayor Edward I.

Betty Shabazz, the widow of Malcolm X who was badly burned in a fire that police believe her 12-year-old grandson set, underwent a fourth surgical procedure to remove more charred skin, hospital officials said. The operation was successful, said Rita Connelly, nursing supervisor at Jacobi Medical Center. The hospital said 72% of Shabazz's burned tissue has been removed, and her next operation is scheduled Tuesday.

Malcolm X's widow fought for her life Monday after being burned over most of her body in a fire allegedly set by her grandson, described by a family lawyer as "a sad little boy" with a troubled past. Betty Shabazz was listed in critical condition with third-degree burns over 80% of her body. "The injuries are catastrophic. . . . She is in a life-threatening situation and will be for a long period of time," said Dr. Bruce Greenstein at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx.